Coal Miner’s Pick
Brora Heritage Centre

This is an original pick used by a miner in the Brora Coal Mine. It has a short shaft as space was tight underground. Sometimes, the men would have to lie on their backs to get to the coal seam, which was less than a metre thick.

The pick has a wooden shaft, which widens at the head so that the double-bladed metal pick can be fixed in place. Each end of the pick is different: one is flat and one is pointed to make the tool more versatile.

Brora’s was the most northerly coalfield in Britain. It finally closed in 1974.